The Colonel's Companion
by Manuflipt
Summary: Chris Simmons survived his adventure to the Gamma Quadrant, but now he may be going insane. Sequel to "In the Colonel's Care" which is set after WYLB. I've just finished a revision of In The Colonel's Care, the story leading into this one. Because of this, I have removed most chapters of this 'work in progress' as I complete and review it.
1. 01 Prologue

**Chapter One: Prologue**

Benjamin Sisko stands alone in the Celestial Temple. His arms are crossed; his expression is grim. He sighs as he senses his mother, Sarah, approaching from behind.

"What is wrong, my son?" she asks, her words heavy with concern.

"That was too damn close," Benjamin says as he blinks, rolls his eyes, and shakes his head all at once.

"You speak of the being whose fate you altered?"

"Yes," Benjamin says as he tucks his chin back into place and refocuses on a specific point in the endless white of the Celestial Temple. As the son of a Prophet, he has learned to peer through space and time—to an extent.

"You are upset," Sarah cocks her head. "It survived, did it not?"

"Barely," Benjamin's brow warps momentarily as he utters the word with disappointment.

"It survived nonetheless," Sarah puts her hands on her son's shoulders. "You should be pleased."

"I'm not," Benjamin deepens his voice.

"But why, my child?"

Benjamin sighs. "I wanted to _help_ the man," he says as he gestures to his focal point in the sea of white, "but from what I've seen… I'm afraid that what I'm subjecting him to is worse than the nothingness we pulled him from."

"Didn't you say that _any_ life would be preferable to the perpetual emptiness of its previous existence here, and that we should compensate for the theft of its fate and whatever may lie beyond?"

"I did, but…" Benjamin takes a deep breath and releases it. "I may have been wrong."

"You prepared it as best you could. We provided countless memories to aid its transition. Its form was repaired, even improved."

"I know," Benjamin turns to face his mother. "I appreciate what you did for me… for him. It did help him; it _will_ help him. I'm just worried that in the end… none of it will matter."

"So," Sarah smiles and puts a hand on the side of her son's face. "What do you intend to do about it?"

Benjamin sighs. "I've learned so much, mother, but…" he takes Sarah's hand and squeezes it as he turns back to the point in space that's been commanding his attention. "I really don't know. The only thing I'm sure of at this point is that I need to stop what his keeper is doing."

Sarah turns to inspect the same invisible point before them. "Does it not help?"

Benjamin closes his eyes and shakes his head. "No, mother. It most definitely does not."

She faces her son and creases her brow. "I don't understand."

"I'm afraid Chris won't either," Benjamin sighs heavily.

"Do what you believe you must." Sarah says as she looks to a new point behind them. "There is… another matter that concerns me."

"I know." Benjamin rubs a hand down his face. "I've felt them too."

 **A/N:**

I'm posting this prologue as a bit of a placeholder. I've started work on this story, but I only have about 20K words of a first draft thrown together as of 4/4/16. If you liked the story that this is a continuation of (In the Colonel's Care) and want to know as soon as I post more… you can subscribe to/follow this story, or me as an author in case you're interested in anything else I may post in the meantime (I can be a little ADD at times).

I will do my best to make this story make sense on its own, but I would recommend (and be pleased if) you read "In the Colonel's Care" before continuing this one.


	2. 02 The Veil

**Chapter Two: The Veil**

Christopher Simmons opens his eyes on Deep Space Nine. The veil of sleep lifts quickly once events of the night before rush back to him. His heartbeat quickens and the limp expression of slumber morphs into a joyful smile. His eyes dart to and fro as he quickly reviews the few hours leading up to his presence in this particular bed.

The war with the Dominion having ended months ago, Deep Space Nine has slowly returned to being a bustling hub of trade and travel. The soft glimmer of starlight through the window beyond the foot of the bed is joined by errant flashes of navigation lights and chance reflections of the Bajoran sun from various starship hulls. Chris turns his head from the ceiling to look upon the reddish-brown hair and bare shoulder of Kira Nerys—delicately wrapped in the bedsheet beside him.

 _I can't believe I'm really here!_

Though overwhelmed with joy, Chris can't escape a strong sense of déjà vu for the simple fact that he _has_ been here before. The last time he found himself in this bed however, he was received by its owner as an intruder.

Chris chuckles to himself quietly.

He remembers their initial, chaotic introduction all too well. Comical in retrospect, the confusion and terror of waking up to face an angry television character with a gun were significant. Invisible in the low and inconsistent light, Chris knows there is a faint burn mark on the wall from where Nerys, in her rage, fired her phaser dangerously close to him while he cowered in this very bedsheet.

Chris never did find out why the Prophets brought him to the 24th century naked, nor is he confident that he knows the real reason behind anything else they've done. Subsequent conversations with Nerys, Jake Sisko, and the Emissary himself provided some insight as to what happened and why, but so many questions were never, or never fully, answered. Was he truly taken from the 21st century as 'collateral damage' while the Prophets manipulated Benjamin Sisko's fate? Did he actually have a heart attack in the Celestial Temple that complicated his return, causing a 350-year hiatus? If so, is that why he was granted such a drastic physical transformation? Whatever their reasons, Chris is _very_ grateful for both the makeover and the 'TV show' memories that Sisko and the Prophets implanted in his mind. It was a brilliant tactic for 'easing' him into the future, and who knows how things might have turned out if they hadn't given him that crucial primer about Deep Space Nine and the 24th century.

 _I probably wouldn't be lying here with_ her _, that's for sure._

Chris' wandering thoughts are interrupted by a bright reflection from beyond the windows that illuminates the beautiful woman beside him. He wants to caress her shoulder or run his fingers through her hair, but he resists—he doesn't want to wake her just yet. Instead, he simply marvels at the memory of the love they shared the night before as the beam of light completes its slow journey across her thinly-shrouded form.

Chris whispers under his breath as the light dims. "I love you, Nerys."

The evolution of Kira's feelings for Chris has been nothing short of spectacular. When he first appeared in her bed, she reacted with violence and threats. The Prophets had given her a vision foretelling the arrival of a 'visitor', but the immediate discovery of an unclad human male was _not_ what she expected. Even after accepting Chris' origin, Kira's heart was too preoccupied with holding out hope for Odo's return from the Great Link to pay any mind to a stranger. She treated Chris with polite indifference at best. When it became increasingly obvious that Chris was developing strong feelings for her, she deliberately created emotional distance.

Another slow scan of light through the room highlights an indeterminate piece of clothing draped over what Chris knows to be Odo's bucket. He doesn't know what changed during their adventure in the Gamma Quadrant, but something must have convinced her that Odo will never return. As far as what prompted her to be receptive to his own love and affection, or what possessed her to invite him into her quarters after a 'movie date' the night before… Chris can only guess.

 _On second thought, I don't want to jinx it._

Kira had tried to be subtle about concealing the memento of her true love, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed. Chris shrugs to himself as he abandons his analysis of the act because it doesn't really matter. The passion and intimacy they shared was unmistakable.

Chris grins.

He can't see any sign of the remainder of their scattered clothing due to the darkness and his position on the bed, but he knows the trail leads practically to the door of her quarters. That's where it started. That's where they kissed.

Chris sighs deeply as he remembers the sensation and swell of emotion as his lips pressed against hers for the first time.

Kira is roused by the sound and mumbles softly. "I'm glad we got you back."

"I'm glad you got me back too," Chris whispers as he rolls from his back to nestle against hers.

Chris wraps an arm around Nerys, embracing her tightly. She makes a soft sound of contentment as he gently kisses the back of her neck.

 _I'm very,_ very _glad you got me back._

"Back" is from that cursed cruiser. The Cardassians sought to punish the Founders for the destruction brought upon their home and empire when the tide of war turned against their Dominion 'allies'. To that end, the Obsidian Order retrofitted a cloaking device-equipped Keldon-class cruiser to become a fire-and-forget biological weapon targeting the Great Link itself. The chemical agents were smuggled through Deep Space Nine, and Chris had the misfortune of being too close when the Cardassians came to collect them in a mass transport.

Chris' persistent smile falters slightly. _I never would have made it back if it hadn't been for Carl._

A Founder, whom Chris casually dubbed 'Carl' when he simply believed him to be the disembodied voice of a Cardassian, had infiltrated the Order and had already become trapped on that prison of a vessel before Chris' arrival. Carl revealed his true nature when he killed a Cardassian crewman to save Chris' life. Together, along with the help of Kira and the crew of the Defiant and even a small contingent of Dominion forces, they were able to thwart the Obsidian Order's plot. Chris was terribly wounded during the ordeal, though you'd never know by looking at him now—or by the unhindered intimacy he just shared with Nerys not three days after returning through the wormhole.

 _Medical technology in this time will never cease to amaze me!_

Chris' smile returns in full force and he kisses the nape of Nerys' neck again. He has never been so happy in his life, or in his past life, as he is at this moment—skin-to-skin with the woman he loves.

Chris closes his eyes as he holds Nerys close. The veil of sleep drapes over him.

* * *

A bright glow penetrates Chris' eyelids. He tries to close them tightly, but the act proves ineffective. He covers his face with his hands, blinking his eyes open and peeking through the gaps in his fingers. Chris quickly recognizes the endless white of the Celestial Temple. Unlike his previous experiences here that took place right after he was plucked from his existence in the 21st century, he doesn't automatically feel anxiety and fear. The joy of being with Nerys cannot be tempered, not even by the Prophets themselves.

"Hello, Chris," a voice says from behind him.

Chris spins around to find Benjamin Sisko standing in the sea of white.

Chris smiles and walks forward—a hand extended. "Mister Sisko! That was one _hell_ of a ride, but I wanted to thank…" His words stop short and his steps falter as he sees the somber expression on Sisko's face, an expression that can only mean very bad news is about to be shared. "What… what's going on?"

"I'm… sorry, Chris," Benjamin frowns.

"No…" Chris swallows hard. "Just… whatever it is, I don't want to hear it. You just put me right back where I was. I was…"

"You weren't where you thought you were."

Chris blinks. "What do you mean? I was on Deep Space Nine, and I was with…"

Benjamin shakes his head.

"Don't shake your head," Chris pleads. "You're a Prophet! You can do whatever the hell you want! Put me back… please!"

"It seems…," Sisko hesitates, finding it difficult to watch Chris' poignant realization of the nature of his visit. "It seems the Prophets still don't understand us as much as we might expect."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"One of the Prophets has been..." Benjamin searches for the best way to describe it, "keeping an eye on you and…" He sighs. "What it thought would be helpful is ultimately… cruel."

"What?" Chris' eyes begin to water as he tries to cling to the love he felt while lying next to Nerys. With every passing moment, that feeling dissolves more completely—anger and despair taking its place. "You're damn right! 'Cruel' doesn't even _begin_ to describe what I think you're telling me."

Sisko stands quietly as Chris struggles with his thoughts and emotions.

"She's not back there, is she." Chris says through a blurring shroud of tears, his rhetorical phrasing proof that he already knows the answer.

Sisko purses his lips and confirms it with a slow shake of his head.

"I can't…" Chris covers his eyes with one hand and takes a deep breath. "I don't believe you!"

"I'm sorry, Chris. It wasn't real."

"But it was! I…" Chris drops his hand and looks at Sisko with red, watery eyes.

"How did you get back from the ship you were trapped on?" Sisko interrupts, trying to help Chris realize the truth instead of simply telling him.

"I don't know, I… I blacked out I think," Chris stammers. "I was hurt."

"Not _was_ , Chris. You _are_ hurt," Sisko counters.

"What?"

"You were hurt very badly on that ship. You've been unconscious ever since."

"But I was back. We all went to the holosuite together. We watched a movie in a program of my old apartment that…" Chris pauses when he can't recall how the program came to be. "I don't remember, but then we… she asked me to stay and… we kissed…" Chris fights to hold back tears. "It's what I wanted, dammit!"

"The doctors put you in stasis to get you back to the station alive. You slipped into a coma. This Prophet thought it was helping you heal by showing you… what you wanted."

Only now does Chris notice the clothes he's wearing. He had been naked while lying in bed with Nerys, but he finds himself wearing a torn shirt and pants with one leg cut cleanly to his mid-thigh. The blood stains are so prevalent he can barely tell what color the clothes are supposed to be. "No… all the Prophets have done is _torment_ me!" Chris screams.

Benjamin wags his head because he wants to disagree, but he knows what Chris has been put through.

Chris yells. "They took me from my home! They made me fall in love with a woman who wanted nothing to do with me. They haunt my dreams, and… and that wasn't enough? Now they give me exactly what I want so it can be ripped away? Damn them!"

"Chris, I know you're upset."

"Of course I'm upset!"

"For what it's worth," Benjamin closes the gap between them and puts a hand on Chris' shoulder. "They didn't make you fall in love with anyone. Those feelings were yours."

"But I wasn't supposed to, was I. Is that why they gave me those horrible dreams?" Chris asks with a twisted face. "Is that it? They tried to make me afraid of her with nightmares… and when that didn't work, they do this?"

"Nightmares?" Sisko raises an eyebrow.

"Oh… it's not enough to have her to say she doesn't want me; I've had two _very_ real dreams where she's _killed_ me."

"Chris," The sympathy on Benjamin's face is tainted by confusion. "The Prophets aren't in the habit of giving people nightmares."

"Oh yeah? Then how do you explain my dream of her literally tearing my heart out of my chest… or, or the one where she beat me to death before your 'Niners' baseball game? Huh?"

"I can't," Benjamin furrows his brow with concern. "That's… troubling."

"Troubling!? Horrific is what it was!" Chris' chest heaves and he pauses to take some deep breaths. "But… this last bit? This is low. I love her, and you said it perfectly: what they did was cruel. I want to know why all of this is happening to me."

"I don't have all the answers. I'm sorry."

"You don't know? You're one of _them_ now. How can you not know?"

"It's not that simple. But it's time for you to wake up, Chris."

"No!" Chris staggers away from Benjamin. "I don't _want_ to wake up! I want to go back where I was. I don't care if it's not real. Please… I want her back."

"That's gone now. You have to wake up."

"I don't want to wake up." Chris' legs buckle beneath him and he sobs on the ground. "I don't want to."

"I'll talk to you again soon, Chris. I'm very sorry."

* * *

Chris takes a deep breath. He hears random beeps from various directions. His eyes, still closed, immediately start to water. He tries to raise his arm to wipe the tears from his eyes but finds he can't move. The beeping quickens and intensifies.

"Julian, I think he's waking up."

Chris clamps his eyes shut. He recognizes the voice, but he can't bear to look her in the eyes—not now.

"He's shaking, Julian. What's wrong?"

"His vitals are normalizing," Julian's voice replies. "Nothing appears to be wrong."

"Chris," Nerys' voice says. "Chris, can you hear me?"

Chris nods subtly as he tries to stifle his tears.

"Look at me, Chris."

Chris shakes his head.

"What's wrong? Please, look at me."

Chris opens his eyes slowly. He wants to see her face as he last saw it: full of love. Instead, her face is etched with dispassionate concern.

"Talk to me, Chris. What's wrong?"

Chris bites his lip and shakes his head. He clamps his eyes shut again, sending tears down the sides of his face. He can't stand to look at her anymore. Gone is the woman that loved him. He fights to keep his sobbing under control, but he can't hide his emotion.

"I need to release the stasis field," Julian's voice says from somewhere in the room.

With freedom of motion restored, Chris moves to cover his face with his hands. Kira intercepts one and grips it. Chris squeezes tightly in return.

"What are you doing?" Kira asks.

"I'm administering a sedative until we can figure out what's going on," Julian answers.

"I don't think that's…" Kira's voice trails off as the sedative claims Chris swiftly.

* * *

"…what he needs right now," Kira says. She feels Chris' hand relax in hers.

"Too late," Julian cringes with guilt as he lowers the hypospray. "You seemed so concerned. I wanted to play it safe."

"Did his vitals show a problem?" Kira asks.

"They were still transitioning from his comatose state. I had no idea where they may have settled. With that uncertainty and your alarming concern, I felt it best to sedate him."

Kira's brow distorts as she looks at Chris' face.

"What is it, colonel?"

"He appeared to be in pain, but it was…"

"It was what?"

"He…" Kira frowns. "The look on his face reminded me of how I felt when I lost Bareil."

Julian chooses to answer Kira's statement with silence. He watches as she delicately wipes moisture from Chris' face.

"Colonel," Julian says after several moments, "You've been in here for quite some time. The sedative I gave him will guarantee he's not awake again for several hours. You should get some rest."

Kira nods. "Let me know if anything changes."

.

* * *

Chris opens his eyes to a well-lit ceiling. Wiping his eyes and looking around, he finds that he's lying on the floor of a corridor in the habitat ring of Deep Space Nine.

He stands himself up in the empty corridor. No sooner does he dust off his pants and straighten his shirt that he hears a door open down the hall. Nerys steps out and begins to walk away from him.

"Nerys!" Chris calls after her.

Kira's footsteps halt abruptly. She turns around slowly to reveal a resentful scowl, then strides towards him angrily.

"Nerys?" Chris is baffled by her angry expression. "What's going on?"

"You don't get to call me that," Kira says as her eyes narrow.

"But…"

Before Chris can speak another word, her final steps to him quicken. She moves to the side and spins, swinging an arm and planting the blade of her hand firmly into Chris' throat.

Chris is shocked by the painful blow. He falls backwards to the ground, coughing. Kira quickly kneels beside him, clamping a hand over his injured throat. She squeezes.

"Just sex, huh?" she hisses in his face. "Is that all you want from me?"

With panicked eyes, Chris fights to speak. When air merely sputters out, he shakes his head frantically.

"Shhh," she shakes her head slowly. "Your gurgling sickens me. _You_ sicken me."

Chris whimpers and fights for air. He tries to wriggle free.

Kira straddles him and adds her other hand to her grip of his neck. "Something like this?" Kira raises her eyebrows and nods towards his pinned hips. "Is this what you want, Chris?"

Unable to move air at all, Chris can only plead with his eyes.

"You should have died on that ship," Kira leans close and whispers as she glances down the hall. "I intend to fix that."

As Kira continues to clamp his airway shut, darkness shrouds everything except her sinister grin. After a few more moments of panic and pain, even that fades to black.

.

* * *

Chris gasps for air.

"Julian!"

Chris opens his eyes to find a startled Ezri staring back at him. He can't resist the need to suck more air into his lungs after his nightmare of asphyxiation. With air to expend, he cries out unintelligibly between gasps.

Ezri wrinkles her forehead. "My goodness! What's wrong, Chris?"

Chris can't respond as he struggles to control his breathing.

Ezri cocks her head at Julian, hoping for an explanation.

Julian shrugs, then reaches for a hypospray.

Chris comes close to regaining control, but then his mind is filled with the beautiful experience he shared with Kira—an experience he knows wasn't real. His eyes water and he begins to sob uncontrollably.

Ezri slides the bio-monitor out of the way and puts a hand on Chris' shoulder. Chris rolls to his side and embraces her awkwardly. Ezri blinks in confusion and does her best to comfort him.

Julian, moments from sedating Chris a second time, stops and shares bewildered stares with Ezri.


End file.
